Apparatus foe distributing steam



R. HALE, OF

ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING- STEAM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,000, dated July 2,7, 1858i.

T0 all whom t may coacem:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HALE, of ROX- bury, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Distributing Steam when It is Discharged into the Feed-Tater for the Purpose of Heating It, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in whichk Figure l is a plan of my steam distributer. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same, on the line of Fig. 1.

The feed water for locomotives and other steam engines is often heated by the injection of a portion of steam from the boiler. As the steam enters with considerable force it causes an unpleasant noise, and if the depth of water be small the steam passes through it and accumulates in the top of the tank, and it is desirable that all the steam should be condensed by the water and its heat economized, and also that the before mentioned noise should be done away with.

To accomplish these ends is the object of my present invention which consists in attaching to the orifice of the pipe through which the steam is admitted to the tank, a suitable apparatus for distributing the steam in a thin sheet as will be hereafter more fully explained.

That others skilled in t-he art may understand and use my invention I will describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the drawings A, is a bell shaped cone of metal of the form shown in Fig. 2, which is secured to the bottom of the tank, at any convenient part of it, by a screw bolt passing through the bottom and screwing into the cone at a. This cone tapers to a point at its apex at b., and is embraced by a bell shaped cap or shell B, the apex of which at (Z, is 0f a sufficient size to receive the end of the steam pipe, and is furnished with a female screw c, for the purpose of attaching it. The edge f, of the cone A, and the edge g of the shell B are of an equal circumference and are secured together by the screws c, which pass through the edge f, and screw into the edge g, while the washers z' on these screws serve to keep the two edges at a proper distance apart, so that the size of the orifice m through which the steam passes into the water may correspond with the capacity of the conducting pipe to which the apparatus is attached. The steam as it ows from the pipe impinges upon the apex Z) of the interior cone A, and is spread by the cone into a thin sheet in which form it is ejected from the orifice m into the water.

The size of the apparatus will of course in a great measure be governedby circumstances, but the greater the circumference the narrower may be the orice m and the thinner the sheet of steam ejected from it. In some cases I cover the orice m, with a fine wire net-ting for the purpose of still further dividing the current of steam into more minute streams; as I find that the thinner the stream in which it is ejected into the water the more rapid will be its condensation and the less unpleasant noise will proceed from it, while the escape of the steam above the water in the tank is prevented, and all the heat of the steam is economized.

I do not limit myself to the exact form of distributer above described, as it may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance, if the distributer is placed in a corner of the tank, a quadrant shape may be found to be better suited to the position occupied by it, a flat cap may be placed over the funnel shaped orice of the conducting pipe, leaving an annular opening around it.

Thus far I have spoken of my invention as particularly applicable to heating the feed water of engines, and it is my intention to employ my distributer in connection with a method of separating a portion of the exhaust steam of locomotives for the purpose of heating the feed water, but it is obvious that it may be used to advantage whenever water is to be heated by the injection of steam as in bathing establishments, and manufactories. I do not therefore limit myself to its employment for the purpose of heating the feed water of steam engines alone but intend to employ it wherever it may serve to accomplish the end which I have in view.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The distributer herein described or its substantial equivalent operating as set forth for the purpose of injecting the steam into the water in a thin sheet as set forth.

ROBT. HALE.

Witnesses:

Trios. R. RoAoH, P. E. TEsoHEMAoHER. 

